ARTICLE: Pre-delivery Inspection (PDI) & Check List

This is a discussion on ARTICLE: Pre-delivery Inspection (PDI) & Check List within On buying a car, part of the Team-BHP Advice category; One of the items mentioned in the Team BHP PDI checklist is "Sales Certificate" under documentation. I am taking delivery ...

One of the items mentioned in the Team BHP PDI checklist is "Sales Certificate" under documentation. I am taking delivery of my new car shortly. If someone can explain what this is, it would be of great help. Thanks.

Hi BHP-ians
I am a newbie in this group and the main purpose was to know as much as possible about the Mahindra Thar before I take the leap of faith.

So last weekend, I did get a chance to go to a dealer [Sahyadri Mahindra, near Baner in Pune] and have a test drive. Do note that I was initially told that they do not have any CRDe versions that I could test drive and in an hour after the first call was done, I got a call from the dealer stating that on checking with his team, there is a black CRDe version available in the storehouse at Katraj. I am new to Pune and so my apologies if I spell these names incorrectly. Anyway, I did show up at the dealsership and I got to speak with the Thar expert. The sad part here was that I did not know to speak Marathi [I am from Kerala] and the Thar person was a hardcore Marathi speaking dude. In his defense, he did try his best to get the communication going on with Hindi and Marathi.
So I got to find out what they offer me and he gave me a final on-road price at 832400 for the Black Mahindra CRDe. So now they took a demo vehicle and drove me to Katraj where the Thar was available - the prioceless single piece. Apparently I am told that it would take around 2-3 months for a Thar to reach the stockyard once ordered.

So we reached the stockyard and I did find the Thar at one corner. It was very dirty/dusty and the reason I was told is that its been very windy the last few days !! So i do a walk around and it looks all good except for the dirt and dust coated exterior. We get in and the interiors are much better as in there was no dust or dirt to the extent of the exteriors. The wheel caps were all in the rear of the vehicle. Surprisingly, the odometer did read 523 kms already and on probing, i was told the Thars are not delivered via logistics but are driven from Nashik. Now I am not geography scholar but google maps tells me the distance is around 200 kms and I am not sure how it colelcted all 523 kms. I guess they do have quite a lot of test drives on that model !

But I did go ahead with teh test drive and i must say I was impressed right at the beginning. The performance was very satisfactory. Very responsive, pretty good handling at higher speeds. Gear shifts were smooth. The only disappointments [for the lack of a better term] were:
1. The stock yard was slightly off the main road and the route to teh yard was very ristic as in there were all kacha roads with rubble. The pick up was good but there was this really really loud rattling noise for most part of that road until we reached the main road. The dealer tried to cover thsi up by holding the top and trying to explain it by saying the mechanincs were fooling aroudn with the soft top and such. I did not buy it though. It was indeed annoying and I hope this can be fixed by getting the soft top looked at.

2. I am not much of a 4X4 enthusiast but I have been on the navigator seat quite sometime and I asked the dealer rep to show me how the 4X4 can be engaged and moved around from one level to the next. To my horror, he had no idea. He was just using all his might to do so and finally managed to show me all three levels. So much for the Thar expert !

3. No extended warrantly was offered. There is no option it seems.

4. On getting back to the dealership, I wanted to know more on the customisations that they offered as part of the deal. Though they do come for an additional price, they gave me the list. I was told that we would need the RTOs approval for most of the customisations. That was surprising but I take it that its the law.
On the customisations, would any of you throw more light as to what is
nice to have and what needs to be there.

5. I was so interested on the half canopy but a comment that the dealer gave me kinda dampened my spirits. Apparently, once the half canopy is installed, I cannot go back to the regular full canopy soft top it seems. Is that right? Isn't there an option where I can use the full canopy as against a half canopy or no roof at all.

I could use as much info as possible before I finalise this deal. Also, I could use information on other dealers around Pune as well as places/mechanics where I could get more options and information on customising the Thar. I am so looking forward to this event in my life and I hope it all goes well as expected.

Off topic - Happened in my car too. Pressure was around
40PSI. I used the vehicle for 1 month with that. Recommending to add this in PDI checklist.

Just happened with my new Punto as well. Felt the ride was very bumpy with a slight pulling to one side after i took delivery of the vehicle. Had the tire pressure checked at Shell and the front right tire had been inflated to 46 PSI! Rest of them were around 36 PSI.

I really appreciate and thank all the contributors of this thread. I am about to take delivery of a new Fortuner AT. The vehicle's manufacturing date is June 2013. Needless to say we are in September 2013 - so the vehicle is around 3 months old from the date of manufacture. ODO shows 54Km. Is this ok? Please respond at the earliest. Thanks a lot.

I really appreciate and thank all the contributors of this thread. I am about to take delivery of a new Fortuner AT. The vehicle's manufacturing date is June 2013. Needless to say we are in September 2013 - so the vehicle is around 3 months old from the date of manufacture. ODO shows 54Km. Is this ok? Please respond at the earliest. Thanks a lot.

54Kms is no big deal. This is the distance from the showroom/yard to the RTO. Just follow the PDI list and check for anything irregular.

The vehicle's manufacturing date is June 2013. Needless to say we are in September 2013 - so the vehicle is around 3 months old from the date of manufacture. ODO shows 54Km. Is this ok?

I can understand what you are going through but 54 kms on the odometer is decent enough and not alarming to reject the vehicle. Just check the car thoroughly for dents, repainting or any sort of damage. Check the engine oil once to be sure of.

BTW, Congratulations for the Fortuner. One heck of a vehicle from Toyota.

carzone, a4anurag, thanks a lot. Fyi: The vehicle's manufacturing date on the toyota kirloskar sticker on the wind shield says 25-06-2013 as the manufacturing date. And under the hood, to the right of the battery there's a metallic label that shows the manufacturing date as 06-2013 (date is not specified). The information on the metallic label is etched as opposed to printed. I like the fact that Toyota displays this information clearly on their cars. In case of several other cars folks have to try to decode the vin to get the manufacturing date.

The vehicle's manufacturing date on the toyota kirloskar sticker on the wind shield says 25-06-2013 as the manufacturing date. And under the hood, to the right of the battery there's a metallic label that shows the manufacturing date as 06-2013 (date is not specified).

In spite having the date displayed on the car still decode the VIN code for double assurance.

Taking delivery possibly today. -
It seems Toyota cars in India do not encode the manufacturing date in the VIN. They simply add XX/XX at the end of the VIN number to indicate the month and year of manufacture.

HI All,
Would like to hear your opinion on this small query. I had booked a Fiat Linea T-Jet on Sep 14th and got the chance to check it at the dealer ship today. Checking the VIN number the manufacturing date is May 2013.
So that means the car is 4 months old. Just wanted to check if this is normal. Should i ask for more discounts on this car.

Addl info:
1) Car has 50 kms on odo
2) The tyres are Goodyear and is Aug manufactured.
3) There are rusts on the sideof the disc brakes in front but all the cars in the showroom (incl the fiat linea classic) has the same.

HI All,
Would like to hear your opinion on this small query. I had booked a Fiat Linea T-Jet on Sep 14th and got the chance to check it at the dealer ship today. Checking the VIN number the manufacturing date is May 2013.
So that means the car is 4 months old. Just wanted to check if this is normal. Should i ask for more discounts on this.

It is OK to have that 4 months difference but do a through PDI before signing the dotted line.

What you can do is squeeze in discounts or freebies on the car. If your trying for discounts then try it on the Ex-Showroom price as it would decrease the tax etc.

Rust in that area is common but the depth of the rust is the point to be looked into. Go a little deep while do the PDI for any defects it signs of problems due to storage in the ware house.

We have finalized on getting a TATA Vista D90 - all loan formalities,etc are done. Got the VIN number from the dealer today but am shocked to find that it is a March 2013 manufactured car. The SA has been very helpful all along and says that since I am taking the top end (ZX+ variant) + - this hasn't had a lot of takers.

But the SA has told me to do a PDI and then decide before taking a call on the vehicle. He has also promised to get the battery & engine oil changed if I confirm the vehicle.

The other catch is that Concorde motors has a central stockyard and can't request for another Spice Red when they have inventory. If I need a newer car I have the option of going for another color like Grey instead but that will take another month and there is a possibility of price hike and current offers (3yrs Insurance free).

Why the shock? It is a machine not a pizza out of Domino's that is delivered fresh. I understand that when one buys a car one does expect it to be mint fresh off the assembly line but then we all know that it cannot be that way. Even if one were to buy a fast moving vehicle like the Alto, one gets minimum a month old vehicle and this is for Dilli NCR where the factory itself is located. Bear in mind any car that you buy is built to last a long time and that 6 months is but a fraction in it's working life span.

In your case I would say you are very lucky to have found a SA who is willing to work with you and giving you the options of changing fluids or opting for a different colour etc etc.

I suggest you take up with him the matter pertaining to discounts etc. if you were to go for a different colour and what additional cash discount will he give you for taking this car. Remember he said there are not many takers for this variant, so use that and alongside also do a PDI to familiarise yourself with the condition of the red one. This way you will have all the necessary inputs to arrive at an informed decision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonblr

.....Got the VIN number from the dealer today but am shocked to find that it is a March 2013 manufactured car. The SA has been very helpful all along and says that since I am taking the top end (ZX+ variant) + - this hasn't had a lot of takers.

But the SA has told me to do a PDI and then decide before taking a call on the vehicle. He has also promised to get the battery & engine oil changed if I confirm the vehicle.

.. If I need a newer car I have the option of going for another color like Grey instead but that will take another month and there is a possibility of price hike and current offers (3yrs Insurance free).

Guys, iam planning to take a Alto 800 Tomorrow. I have paid a boking amount of rs.5000 and he said he will deliver the vehicle tomorrow and i can make the rest of the payment.

Now he says i have to make the cheque payment, and only after realisation of the cheque he will give the car to me after RTO work.
Is it right ? Does he have to wait till the cheque to be cleared.

Yes buddy, till the cheque is not cleared the car is not delivered and not registered. This is done for safety reasons by the dealer.

One more advice, check the odometer and the whole body once before signing the dotted line to be sure.

Congratulations by the way for the Alto 800. Wishing many happy miles with it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flying Djinn

Just happened with my new Punto as well. Felt the ride was very bumpy with a slight pulling to one side after i took delivery of the vehicle. Had the tire pressure checked at Shell and the front right tire had been inflated to 46 PSI! Rest of them were around 36 PSI.

This is a common practice and one has to check and ensure things are set right before delivery. Good that you checked it and corrected it soon.

Same in my case when my Swift ZDi was delivered, all 4 tyres had 53.7 psi in them, deflated them to F=32 psi and R=30 psi